In certain prior art, semiconductor devices, such as insulated-gate, bipolar transistors (IGBT) and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (CMOS), and silicon-carbide (SiC) transistors, have thermal constraints that can limit performance. For vehicle applications, such as off-road vehicles or heavy equipment, the semiconductor devices may be incorporated into power electronic modules, like inverters or converters with heavy duty cycles and/or transient loads that demand high thermal dissipation. Thus, there is a need to make the electronic modules compact consistent with targeted power density and compatible with cooling via the circulation of engine coolant, associated with an internal combustion engine on the vehicle.